Soon after The Hague Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) award its decision over the case filed by the Philippines against China in the South China Sea row, the Vietnam welcomes the ruling with respect and supports the settlement of disputes by peaceful means.

Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Le Hai Binh, said his country, as one of the claimant of the disputed areas, they will respect the International Tribunal ruling and also reaffirmed its sovereignty over Paracel Islands and Spratly Islands, which it said established by the International law.

“Vietnam once again reiterates its consistent stance on this lawsuit as it was fully shown in the Vietnamese Foreign Ministry’s Declaration on December 5, 2014, sent to the arbitration tribunal,” he noted.

“In that spirit, Vietnam strongly supports settling disputes in the East Sea through peaceful measures, including diplomatic and legal processes without the use or threat to use force, as in line with regulations of international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, maintaining peace and stability in the region, security, safety and freedom of navigation in and over flight over the East Sea, and respecting the law-abiding principle in seas and oceans,” Binh said in a press briefing over the PCA ruling.

Part of the South China Sea’s disputed region

The PCA ruled favoring the Philippines, which solely owns the territories in the South China Sea. The ruling also said the nine-dash line of China has no legal basis to front its historic rights over the region and said the latter breached its obligations in the convention concerning maritime safety.

The tribunal gave emphasis that the China has no rights to claim about 85% of territories in the region because most of it enclosed to the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of the Philippines as prescribed by the International Law.

Vietnam, China and the Philippines were signatories of 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)